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Thread: Prog from the year 2000

  1. #1
    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    Prog from the year 2000

    As 2015 comes to a close I thought it would be interesting to take a look back on prog and the state of prog 15 years ago. In my opinion, 2000 was a really good year for prog. Technically it might not have been the start of the new millenium but at the time it sure seemed that way. Regardless, there was a lot of good releases such as these:

    Transatlantic -SMPT:e
    Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun
    The Flower Kings- Space Revolver
    Spock's Beard- V
    Kansas- Somewhere to Elsewhere
    Echolyn- Cowboy Poems Free
    White Willow- Sacrament
    Underground Railroad- Through and Through
    Arena- Immortal?
    Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element
    Alamaailman Vasarat - Vasarasia
    Radiohead - Kid A
    King Crimson - The ConstruKtion of Light
    Enchant - Juggling 9 or Dropping 10
    Azigza-same

    I know there were many other worthy albums from 2000 but those are just the ones I am most familiar with.

    Although they didn't put an album out that year, 2000 also marked the official return of Happy the Man who played at the second Nearfest festival. It also marked the return of Echolyn as well as a recording by the original members of Kansas.

    Looking back, 2000 seems to have been a pivotal year for prog and the prog resurgence. It was sort of a go big or go home kind of situation for prog and imo prog certainly went big that year.
    Last edited by Digital_Man; 11-12-2015 at 01:37 PM.

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    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    My top albums would be

    Hamster Theater - Carnival Detournement
    5UU's - Regarding Purgatories
    Radiohead - Kid A
    Volapuk - Polyglot
    Cheer-Accident - Salad Days
    Gilgamesh - Arriving Twice
    Alamaailman Vasarat - Vasaraasia
    Bohren & The Club Der Gore - Sunset Mission
    Julverne - Le Pavillon Des Passions Humaines
    Noetra - Definitivement Bleus
    GYBE! - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
    Birdsong Of The Mesazoic - Petrophonics
    Ian

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    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    I forgot about the Radiohead. I just added it. I forgot about Pain of salvation also.

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    Member emperorken's Avatar
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    Agree with Arena's Immortal. Also, IQ released The Seventh House, the first of their really great albums. And a little known band from The Netherlands, Triangle, released the first of their 2 very good albums, "Square the Circle".

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    Moderator Poisoned Youth's Avatar
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    Interesting thread. 2000 was a decent year, but I would stop short of calling it anything special or "pivotal". I realize I'm just nitpicking your choice of words, but I think prog was in full "resurgence" by then and it was the festivals and the internet that were making more of an impact in 2000 than the music imo.

    That said, here's my list of top 20. I have marked what I think is an important work (obviously imo) in that artist's catalog. I do regularly go back to most of these top 10.

    * Spock's Beard - V
    * Transatlantic - SMPT:E
    * White Willow - Sacrament
    Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun
    The Flower Kings - Space Revolver
    * Radiohead - Kid A
    Embryo - One Night At The Joan Miró Foundation
    Uzva - Tammikuinen Tammela
    Ozric Tentacles - The Hidden Step
    Azigza- s/t


    Outside of maybe the Stereolab, I can't think of the last time I pulled out any of these albums even though I enjoy them all.

    Bigelf - Money Machine
    Birdsongs of the Mesozoic - Petrophonics
    Groovector - Ultramarine
    Trey Gunn - The Joy of Molybdenum
    Kansas - Somewhere to Elsewhere
    Jose Ledesma, Luis Fernandez & Margarita Botello - Sol Central
    Os Relógios de Frederico - Quatro Centésimos de Semitom
    Stereolab - The First of the Microbe Hunters
    Symphony X - V
    Yeti - Things to Come
    WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.

  7. #7
    Oddly enough, nobody mentioned yet "God Has Failed" - the first (and still the best) album that RPWL have ever released.

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    The period around 2000 was a truly dreadful period for mainstream rock/pop. Maybe some of the "new prog" releases could be seen as a reaction to that? It may not be mere coincidence.

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    The first NEARfest was of course 1999 but that was what propelled me into discovering a lot more Prog releases in the coming year 2000. I really think that Prog has started to slow down steadily in the last 4 to 5 years. The releases keep coming but the interest doesn't seem to be there. Maybe some vendors could extrapolate on this. I know NEARfest became a victim of the slowdown which could possibly also be due to the economy. Many factors could be sighted, but 2000 seemed to be around the year Prog picked up steam.


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    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Forgot the Trey Gunn, that's my favorite solo album of his.

    from Ians phone
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    https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/

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    Member Joe F.'s Avatar
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    In alphabetic order:

    Alamaailman Vasarat- Vasaraasia
    Cosmic Hoffmann- Shiva Connection
    5 UU's- Regarding Purgatories
    KBB- Lost And Found
    Kenso- Ken-Son-Gu-Su
    Jose Luis Fernandez Ledesma Q & Margarita Botello- Sol Central
    Pain Of Salvation- The Perfect Element
    Jeff Pearce - To The Shores Of Heaven
    Species Being- Orgone Therapy
    Underground Railroad- Through And Through
    Volapuk- Polyglot
    Yeti- Things To Come…

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    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poisoned Youth View Post
    and it was the festivals and the internet that were making more of an impact in 2000 than the music imo.
    bingo. exactly my thoughts.
    Steve F.

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    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

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    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

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    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    [Interesting thread. 2000 was a decent year, but I would stop short of calling it anything special or "pivotal". I realize I'm just nitpicking your choice of words, but I think prog was in full "resurgence" by then and it was the festivals and the internet that were making more of an impact in 2000 than the music imo.]

    I'm not saying the resurgence started in 2000 but in my opinion it was still growing. It's always been a snails race imo but I think the festivals in particular(especially NF)helped a lot. For me personally I didn't discover prog online until late 98/early 99 so there was this sort of "kid in the candy store" thing going on for me. Basically I just meant that it seemed that prog either had to keep the momentum going and have something big happen(ie the aforementioned festivals and NF in particular)or crawl back to where it came from as far as gain wider acceptance. I'm not saying that to be mean or combative or anything and of course it's just my opinion but it just seems to me that prog was in that space between not being known and being known. I stand behind my pivotal comment though but ymmv(as we used to say on rmp).

    Also, I contemplated calling the thread prog "in the year 2000" but wanted to discuss albums from that time period as well. So yes of course the whole scene in general is up for discussion.
    Last edited by Digital_Man; 11-12-2015 at 01:35 PM.

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    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fracktured View Post
    The first NEARfest was of course 1999 but that was what propelled me into discovering a lot more Prog releases in the coming year 2000. I really think that Prog has started to slow down steadily in the last 4 to 5 years. The releases keep coming but the interest doesn't seem to be there. Maybe some vendors could extrapolate on this. I know NEARfest became a victim of the slowdown which could possibly also be due to the economy. Many factors could be sighted, but 2000 seemed to be around the year Prog picked up steam.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Yes, picked up steam is a good way to put it and what I was going for. I suppose you meant in your earlier part of the paragraph when you said that NF was a victim of the slowdown you were referring to what happened towards the end of the festivals run. I agree and I do think the economy and recession in particular was a big part of that. Maybe people were just getting bored or most people who would discover this crazy stuff already had by then. Not sure. I think in the last several years social media has helped with prog but lately I get the feeling that most people(especially the younger folks) are discovering prog through newer stuff(and not so much the big five or six anymore) so maybe what we older folks perceive as prog is not what the younger people do. That's not necessarily a bad thing just my observation. For example I actually talked to a guy at Rosfest this past year who got into prog through Devin Townsend. I personally have never even heard the guys music(or not much if at all)so that really surprised me. He was maybe in his late 20's so maybe that's typical for someone his age I don't know. I almost felt like asking him if he even heard of YES or ELP or King Crimson or whoever but figured I didn't want to lecture him or shame him if he said no.

  15. #15
    Yeah, for me personally 98/99 was when I discovered that there was a lot of new prog bands and releases out there, thanks to the internet. What I learned from the internet was that prog albums never stopped being produced, and the "revival" had started probably in the early 90's (after the brief revival in the early to mid 80's). Without the internet though (or, at least, large numbers of people using it daily), things didn't really get going until the early 2000's. It does seem that things really took off right at the beginning of the 2000's though, what with Nearfest and some European festivals getting into full gear, and the bands we (well, me anyway) most associate with the revival putting out arguably their best works (FK's, PoS, SB, etc.). 2000 certainly was a good year for me, music wise. As digital man says, like a kid in a candy store.

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    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    ^^^ Care to share who it is?

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    Member gearHed289's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave (in MA) View Post
    LOL! Conan.

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    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
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    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    ^^^ Care to share who it is?
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ar_2000.2F3000

    Hopefully Trane won't read this thread.

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    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fracktured View Post
    I know NEARfest became a victim of the slowdown which could possibly also be due to the economyk
    Not true. Do I have to go over this again, kids?
    Chad

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    facetious maximus Yves's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nearfest2 View Post
    Not true. Do I have to go over this again, kids?
    You need to prove him wrong by staging NEARfest Ressurrection... That'd show him!
    "Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."

    -Cozy 3:16-

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    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yves View Post
    You need to prove him wrong by staging NEARfest Ressurrection... That'd show him!
    Well, that ain't happening!
    Chad

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    Member Man In The Mountain's Avatar
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    Yeah, it was around that time, FOR ME, that prog was really on fire. My new favorite bands were putting out their best work, a lot of amazing side projects happening too, bands were touring, festivals were growing, the internet buzz was booming. Heck, even YES were back touring at that time playing their masterworks.

    Good times.

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